Scenes of May, New Hampshire – The grass is finally green, and the weather has been great during the month of May here in the New Hampshire White Mountains. And the unofficial start to summer, Memorial Day weekend, is only a few days away. Some seem to think that this summer tourist season is going to be a busy one, and from what I am seeing, when out and about, I feel it is going to be even busier than last summer.

One of the challenges working nature photographers have to deal with is finding a good balance between field time and office time. The reality is we spend most of the time in the office, not out in the field creating imagery. This month is the first month in years that I had a good balance between the two.

During the month of May, I documented a number of waterfalls in the White Mountains region. I spent two days shooting along Harvard Brook in Lincoln. The highlight of Harvard Brook is Upper Georgiana Falls (above). The history surrounding this brook and the waterfalls is rather interesting, and history buffs will enjoy it.

I documented some of the old Profile House site in Franconia Notch this month. The Profile House was an 1800s grand hotel located just south of Echo Lake in the area of the parking lot for the Cannon Mountain Ski Area and Tramway. The hotel existed for 70 years before burning down in 1923. It was even torn down and rebuilt during its existence. I believe the above image is remnants of the cottages that were part of the hotel.

It was recently discovered that vandals scratched (above) the Evans family out of the monument that is located at the Mt. Willard Section House site. The Willard Section House site is located along the old Maine Central Railroad, next to the Willey Brook Trestle, in Crawford Notch. It was built in 1887 by the Maine Central Railroad to house the section foreman and crew who maintained the track. From 1903-1942, the Hattie Evans family lived at the house. Hattie Evans is a legend, and this is not the way to respect her legacy.

This senseless destruction saddens me, and the words I have for the person who did it can’t be shared in this blog article. Unfortunately, some feel they are entitled to leave their mark everywhere they go in the White Mountains. Vandalism takes many forms, and it has become an endless problem here in the White Mountains.

I also documented Lafayette Brook Falls (above) this month. This waterfall is located in Franconia on Lafayette Brook in Lafayette Brook Scenic Area. The landscape in this area of the White Mountains is beautiful and multiple visits are needed to take it all in. Other waterfalls I visited this month include Shell Cascade, the falls along Russell Pond Brook, and the Baby Flume.

All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in, and you can view more new images from the month of May here.

Happy image making..

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Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.